Roman Political Institutions part 2

Elections

1. ‘Parties’ and ‘policies’

Populares v. Optimates: see Cicero, In Defence of Sestius, 96 ff.

- not ‘conservatives’ and ‘socialist/labour’
- refers to how they achieve their aims:
-> Optimates: ‘ all good men’ – traditional methods:

‘…religious observances, the auspices, the powers of the magistrates, the authority of the Senate, the laws, ancestral customs, criminal and civil jurisdiction, credit,, our provinces, our allies, the prestige of our government, the army, the treasury’

- Populares – Cicero scathing:

‘For, in so large a body of citizens, there are great numbers of men who, either from fear of punishment, being conscious of their crimes, seek to cause revolution an changes of government; or who owing to a sort of inborn revolutionary madness, batten on civil discord and sedition; or who, on account of embarrassment in their finances prefer a general conflagration to their own ruin’

Populares defined by their methods – tribunate, popular assemblies, exploitation of immediate political problems of concern to the urban populace

2. ‘Pressure’ groups:

- Equites: Q. Cicero’s Guide ranks these as important for a campaign – financial, contracts, provinces; not averse to violence -> praetor killed in riots v. debt relief
- People; food, housing, employment
- Italians, rights
- Army: land

3. Clientele and Amicitiae

- Clientele: home – support campaign, followed patron etc. >< foreign clients also important -> prestige, Gracchus in Spain; Pompey
- Amicitiae: friendship – links with other leading families – marriages- for political benefit.
Municipalities: how you are seen and perceived is important

4. Oratory
5. Personal appearance in forum – ‘going round’  bribery